Knife arches to be installed at Croydon schools after recent spate of stabbings

Police are to install temporary knife arches in schools in response to the recent spate of stabbings, that police have described as "an unfortunate blip".

Five teens have been stabbed in four incidents within an eight day period. Arrests were made yesterday made in connection with the incidents.

Two boys, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, were detained yesterday on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after two teenagers were stabbed in a fight at the Whitgift Centre in Croydon town centre on Tuesday, January 14.

Police investigating the stabbing of a 12-year-old boy outside Tesco Express in Whitehorse Lane, Selhurst, on Monday also arrested two teenage boys, both 15, on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm yesterday.

In a briefing today, Detective Superintendent Simon Messinger, who is leading Croydon Police's response to the stabbings, said more police officers have been drafted in to patrol crime hotspots and knife arches are going to brought in at some schools.

Det Supt Simon Messinger

He said: "We are not sitting around waiting for things to happen. Police officers and CID are fully aware of the expectations I have.

"If anything comes in intelligence wise, we will go and deal with it and react proactively.

"We put everything in we can to make sure Croydon is as safe as it can be. We have got people in in relation to the stabbings, we are not being idle. Whether it is kicking doors down or going into schools, if we have a lead we will follow it up and we will find them.

"It is a blip, it is an unfortunate blip, nobody wants this happen. I have kids and I would expect the police service where I live to do the same thing.

"I sympathise and I fully understand, it upsets me that this happens in Croydon and I will so my best to make sure this is minimized. We will not rest on our laurels."

Comments (13)

This is a good idea in theory but........all other entry points into the schools would need to be locked secure.......once all the pupils are inside the school a full search of all bushes and hedges inside and outside of the school will need to be conducted (because the children will hide knives before entering the school premises so as not to get caught by the scanner) and also are there going to be two police officers manning the scanners whilst the children are entering ?......because you know what's going to happen when the alarm goes off !...... the accused will be spouting at loud volume a load of "Gangster rap rude boy jafaican flip flop verbal diahorrea" at the officers trying to do their jobs whilst at the same time accusing the officers of planting the weapon in the school bag.
The parents of these "gangster rap rude boy rubbish" are just as bad as they simply just bury their heads in the sand.......they spawned this rubbish so therefore they must take responsibility for this rubbish.......a good starting point would be to name and shame the parents of the knife carrying / knife using "gangster rap rude boy rubbish" and then find out their housing arrangements......if they are in social housing (which is more than likely) irrespective of their personal circumstances evict them onto the streets.......their waste of space dysfunctional offspring are causing untold problems in the Croydon borough and I constantly think about the safety of my seven year old son who is fully aware of what is going on, hearing from other parents in the play ground talking about this as well as reading the local Croydon papers.......at the age of seven he reads and writes better than some fourteen year olds (mainly the ones who's heads are stuffed full of this "gangster rap rude boy jafaican flip flop rubbish !)

This is a good idea in theory but........all other entry points into the schools would need to be locked secure.......once all the pupils are inside the school a full search of all bushes and hedges inside and outside of the school will need to be conducted (because the children will hide knives before entering the school premises so as not to get caught by the scanner) and also are there going to be two police officers manning the scanners whilst the children are entering ?......because you know what's going to happen when the alarm goes off !...... the accused will be spouting at loud volume a load of "Gangster rap rude boy jafaican flip flop verbal diahorrea" at the officers trying to do their jobs whilst at the same time accusing the officers of planting the weapon in the school bag.
The parents of these "gangster rap rude boy rubbish" are just as bad as they simply just bury their heads in the sand.......they spawned this rubbish so therefore they must take responsibility for this rubbish.......a good starting point would be to name and shame the parents of the knife carrying / knife using "gangster rap rude boy rubbish" and then find out their housing arrangements......if they are in social housing (which is more than likely) irrespective of their personal circumstances evict them onto the streets.......their waste of space dysfunctional offspring are causing untold problems in the Croydon borough and I constantly think about the safety of my seven year old son who is fully aware of what is going on, hearing from other parents in the play ground talking about this as well as reading the local Croydon papers.......at the age of seven he reads and writes better than some fourteen year olds (mainly the ones who's heads are stuffed full of this "gangster rap rude boy jafaican flip flop rubbish !)motomoto

Good its nothing but little boys with a knife .they try act like big men. Couldnt fight there way out of a rubber ring... In front of there" CRACK DEALER" mates. as soon as there home its like yes mummy yes daddy...all go GOSPEL CHURCH ON SUNDAYS....Little boys with little attitudes...there parents no nothing check ya kids stuff always be a parent and dont try thinking your some piller of the community coz your not...your son is skum...so check him ALWAYS...!!! ENOUGH SAID READ THE PAPER BLACK ON BLACK CRIME...No need for this ****..making people scared to walk streets little ****'s...PUT THEM IN A PROPPA boxing RING...GOSPEL HEADS FIX UP!!! There more important than god at the moment ...THERE TAKING LIVES NOT GIVING !!!! RAN'T OVER...!!!

Good its nothing but little boys with a knife .they try act like big men. Couldnt fight there way out of a rubber ring... In front of there" CRACK DEALER" mates. as soon as there home its like yes mummy yes daddy...all go GOSPEL CHURCH ON SUNDAYS....Little boys with little attitudes...there parents no nothing check ya kids stuff always be a parent and dont try thinking your some piller of the community coz your not...your son is skum...so check him ALWAYS...!!! ENOUGH SAID READ THE PAPER BLACK ON BLACK CRIME...No need for this ****..making people scared to walk streets little ****'s...PUT THEM IN A PROPPA boxing RING...GOSPEL HEADS FIX UP!!! There more important than god at the moment ...THERE TAKING LIVES NOT GIVING !!!! RAN'T OVER...!!!TASTYTONE

What is so "excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures?
School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates!
Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening?
When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel!

[quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote:
Excellent news.[/p][/quote]What is so "excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures?
School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates!
Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening?
When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel!josh browser

I seem to recall that in the Croydon riots of 2011 the locals smashed up their own town and one of them set fire to the furniture shop that had stood for over 100 yrs!
Croydon is a dump you just wouldnt shop or visit the place if you had any choice; no wonder decent people have moved on and left the pond life to get on with it! just a dirty ghetto now.....

I seem to recall that in the Croydon riots of 2011 the locals smashed up their own town and one of them set fire to the furniture shop that had stood for over 100 yrs!
Croydon is a dump you just wouldnt shop or visit the place if you had any choice; no wonder decent people have moved on and left the pond life to get on with it! just a dirty ghetto now.....Electric Toothbrush

What is so &quot;excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures?
School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates!
Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening?
When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel!

I said excellent, because police are doing something about it. Perhaps you should learn how to understand English properly. I am one of the people who writes about Croydon being a good place to live, work and study, and it is. You are concentrating on the negative things. There is knife crime all over the U.K. and in the USA it is gun crime. So perhaps you should pack up and go and live on the moon.

[quote][p][bold]josh browser[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote:
Excellent news.[/p][/quote]What is so "excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures?
School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates!
Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening?
When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel![/p][/quote]I said excellent, because police are doing something about it. Perhaps you should learn how to understand English properly. I am one of the people who writes about Croydon being a good place to live, work and study, and it is. You are concentrating on the negative things. There is knife crime all over the U.K. and in the USA it is gun crime. So perhaps you should pack up and go and live on the moon.ANNE GILES

THese thug that carry knive need a spell in a military detention this is not the way we behave in my country the only time poeple took up arms was to defend my country from invading forces these thug carry arms to school is something i cannot understand and i dont care tuppence what poeple think we need iron fist approach to defeat these thug and gangs.THank you.

THese thug that carry knive need a spell in a military detention this is not the way we behave in my country the only time poeple took up arms was to defend my country from invading forces these thug carry arms to school is something i cannot understand and i dont care tuppence what poeple think we need iron fist approach to defeat these thug and gangs.THank you.Indigenous UK Pensioner

What is so &quot;excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures? School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates! Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening? When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel!

I said excellent, because police are doing something about it. Perhaps you should learn how to understand English properly. I am one of the people who writes about Croydon being a good place to live, work and study, and it is. You are concentrating on the negative things. There is knife crime all over the U.K. and in the USA it is gun crime. So perhaps you should pack up and go and live on the moon.

Stupid response from someone who is in denial and has their head stuck firmly in the sand. There is NOT "knife crime all over the UK" these type of comments only encourage young people who read these type of comments and then think, Oh look, there is knife crime all over the UK so why should we be any different? appalling view from someone who writes about Croydon being a good place.
Instead of pretending there is NOT a problem with knives in Croydon, with gangs, and crime, you should be condemning those that think it is fine to go to school with knives, and speak out about the damage this is having with not only their lives, but everyone else who has to pick up the peices after a knife is used.
I think it is appalling that someone who writes about Croydon from the safety of their keyboard, should not send out a message to the young that knife crime is totally wrong and will NOT be accepted or tolerated instead of writing that "knife crime is happening all over the UK"
You would be better off meeting these gangs in the street and explaining the dangers of knife crime instead of writing that it is happening all over the UK, which it is not according the stats.

[quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]josh browser[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote: Excellent news.[/p][/quote]What is so "excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures? School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates! Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening? When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel![/p][/quote]I said excellent, because police are doing something about it. Perhaps you should learn how to understand English properly. I am one of the people who writes about Croydon being a good place to live, work and study, and it is. You are concentrating on the negative things. There is knife crime all over the U.K. and in the USA it is gun crime. So perhaps you should pack up and go and live on the moon.[/p][/quote]Stupid response from someone who is in denial and has their head stuck firmly in the sand. There is NOT "knife crime all over the UK" these type of comments only encourage young people who read these type of comments and then think, Oh look, there is knife crime all over the UK so why should we be any different? appalling view from someone who writes about Croydon being a good place.
Instead of pretending there is NOT a problem with knives in Croydon, with gangs, and crime, you should be condemning those that think it is fine to go to school with knives, and speak out about the damage this is having with not only their lives, but everyone else who has to pick up the peices after a knife is used.
I think it is appalling that someone who writes about Croydon from the safety of their keyboard, should not send out a message to the young that knife crime is totally wrong and will NOT be accepted or tolerated instead of writing that "knife crime is happening all over the UK"
You would be better off meeting these gangs in the street and explaining the dangers of knife crime instead of writing that it is happening all over the UK, which it is not according the stats.Fordingwatt

Electric Toothbrush wrote:
I seem to recall that in the Croydon riots of 2011 the locals smashed up their own town and one of them set fire to the furniture shop that had stood for over 100 yrs! Croydon is a dump you just wouldnt shop or visit the place if you had any choice; no wonder decent people have moved on and left the pond life to get on with it! just a dirty ghetto now.....

Burning down Reeves dept store was a sad day for croydon

Why would any sane person go into a furniture shop and set fire to a sofa?

Perhaps they read on some social network site that idiots all over the Uk were engaging in acts of mindless destruction an then decided to torch their own village?
Croydon needs people with life experience to get them away from knife crime instead of being too scared to speak out about it!

Keyboard warriors gazing out from their croydon windows typing rubbish can do more harm than good!

[quote][p][bold]Electric Toothbrush[/bold] wrote:
I seem to recall that in the Croydon riots of 2011 the locals smashed up their own town and one of them set fire to the furniture shop that had stood for over 100 yrs! Croydon is a dump you just wouldnt shop or visit the place if you had any choice; no wonder decent people have moved on and left the pond life to get on with it! just a dirty ghetto now.....[/p][/quote]Burning down Reeves dept store was a sad day for croydon
Why would any sane person go into a furniture shop and set fire to a sofa?
Perhaps they read on some social network site that idiots all over the Uk were engaging in acts of mindless destruction an then decided to torch their own village?
Croydon needs people with life experience to get them away from knife crime instead of being too scared to speak out about it!
Keyboard warriors gazing out from their croydon windows typing rubbish can do more harm than good!Thomas Perkins Snr

Indigenous UK Pensioner wrote:
THese thug that carry knive need a spell in a military detention this is not the way we behave in my country the only time poeple took up arms was to defend my country from invading forces these thug carry arms to school is something i cannot understand and i dont care tuppence what poeple think we need iron fist approach to defeat these thug and gangs.THank you.

You are a "war hero" im my eyes i salut you! and you speak from your heart, your chest emblazened with military medals, unlike the cowardly tory politicians who talk the talk before the election then do zippo once elected!

[quote][p][bold]Indigenous UK Pensioner[/bold] wrote:
THese thug that carry knive need a spell in a military detention this is not the way we behave in my country the only time poeple took up arms was to defend my country from invading forces these thug carry arms to school is something i cannot understand and i dont care tuppence what poeple think we need iron fist approach to defeat these thug and gangs.THank you.[/p][/quote]You are a "war hero" im my eyes i salut you! and you speak from your heart, your chest emblazened with military medals, unlike the cowardly tory politicians who talk the talk before the election then do zippo once elected!Thomas Perkins Snr

What is so &quot;excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures? School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates! Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening? When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel!

I said excellent, because police are doing something about it. Perhaps you should learn how to understand English properly. I am one of the people who writes about Croydon being a good place to live, work and study, and it is. You are concentrating on the negative things. There is knife crime all over the U.K. and in the USA it is gun crime. So perhaps you should pack up and go and live on the moon.

Stupid response from someone who is in denial and has their head stuck firmly in the sand. There is NOT "knife crime all over the UK" these type of comments only encourage young people who read these type of comments and then think, Oh look, there is knife crime all over the UK so why should we be any different? appalling view from someone who writes about Croydon being a good place.
Instead of pretending there is NOT a problem with knives in Croydon, with gangs, and crime, you should be condemning those that think it is fine to go to school with knives, and speak out about the damage this is having with not only their lives, but everyone else who has to pick up the peices after a knife is used.
I think it is appalling that someone who writes about Croydon from the safety of their keyboard, should not send out a message to the young that knife crime is totally wrong and will NOT be accepted or tolerated instead of writing that "knife crime is happening all over the UK"
You would be better off meeting these gangs in the street and explaining the dangers of knife crime instead of writing that it is happening all over the UK, which it is not according the stats.

It is in the stats, as it happens.

[quote][p][bold]Fordingwatt[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]josh browser[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote: Excellent news.[/p][/quote]What is so "excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures? School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates! Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening? When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel![/p][/quote]I said excellent, because police are doing something about it. Perhaps you should learn how to understand English properly. I am one of the people who writes about Croydon being a good place to live, work and study, and it is. You are concentrating on the negative things. There is knife crime all over the U.K. and in the USA it is gun crime. So perhaps you should pack up and go and live on the moon.[/p][/quote]Stupid response from someone who is in denial and has their head stuck firmly in the sand. There is NOT "knife crime all over the UK" these type of comments only encourage young people who read these type of comments and then think, Oh look, there is knife crime all over the UK so why should we be any different? appalling view from someone who writes about Croydon being a good place.
Instead of pretending there is NOT a problem with knives in Croydon, with gangs, and crime, you should be condemning those that think it is fine to go to school with knives, and speak out about the damage this is having with not only their lives, but everyone else who has to pick up the peices after a knife is used.
I think it is appalling that someone who writes about Croydon from the safety of their keyboard, should not send out a message to the young that knife crime is totally wrong and will NOT be accepted or tolerated instead of writing that "knife crime is happening all over the UK"
You would be better off meeting these gangs in the street and explaining the dangers of knife crime instead of writing that it is happening all over the UK, which it is not according the stats.[/p][/quote]It is in the stats, as it happens.ANNE GILES

What is so &quot;excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures? School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates! Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening? When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel!

I said excellent, because police are doing something about it. Perhaps you should learn how to understand English properly. I am one of the people who writes about Croydon being a good place to live, work and study, and it is. You are concentrating on the negative things. There is knife crime all over the U.K. and in the USA it is gun crime. So perhaps you should pack up and go and live on the moon.

Stupid response from someone who is in denial and has their head stuck firmly in the sand. There is NOT "knife crime all over the UK" these type of comments only encourage young people who read these type of comments and then think, Oh look, there is knife crime all over the UK so why should we be any different? appalling view from someone who writes about Croydon being a good place. Instead of pretending there is NOT a problem with knives in Croydon, with gangs, and crime, you should be condemning those that think it is fine to go to school with knives, and speak out about the damage this is having with not only their lives, but everyone else who has to pick up the peices after a knife is used. I think it is appalling that someone who writes about Croydon from the safety of their keyboard, should not send out a message to the young that knife crime is totally wrong and will NOT be accepted or tolerated instead of writing that "knife crime is happening all over the UK" You would be better off meeting these gangs in the street and explaining the dangers of knife crime instead of writing that it is happening all over the UK, which it is not according the stats.

It is in the stats, as it happens.

Care to post up your "stats" to prove there are other areas in the uk which have had similar/same amount of stabbings as Croydon has?

Lets see what prove you have to back up your claim then!

[quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Fordingwatt[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]josh browser[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]ANNE GILES[/bold] wrote: Excellent news.[/p][/quote]What is so "excellent" about schools having to deploy these type of measures? School children who want to learn, do NOT take knives in their school bags to school. Anyone who promotes Croydon as a "good" place to live and work, ought to be ashamed that schools have had to place these devices at the school gates! Who would want their children to attend a Croydon school, or who would seriously contemplate moving to Croydon with this type of thing happening? When families look to an area to move to, they always pick an area where they know their children will thrive and be happy and safe in school and from your comments I would say your "excellent" comment more or less admits that Croydon has now sunk to the bottom of the barrel![/p][/quote]I said excellent, because police are doing something about it. Perhaps you should learn how to understand English properly. I am one of the people who writes about Croydon being a good place to live, work and study, and it is. You are concentrating on the negative things. There is knife crime all over the U.K. and in the USA it is gun crime. So perhaps you should pack up and go and live on the moon.[/p][/quote]Stupid response from someone who is in denial and has their head stuck firmly in the sand. There is NOT "knife crime all over the UK" these type of comments only encourage young people who read these type of comments and then think, Oh look, there is knife crime all over the UK so why should we be any different? appalling view from someone who writes about Croydon being a good place. Instead of pretending there is NOT a problem with knives in Croydon, with gangs, and crime, you should be condemning those that think it is fine to go to school with knives, and speak out about the damage this is having with not only their lives, but everyone else who has to pick up the peices after a knife is used. I think it is appalling that someone who writes about Croydon from the safety of their keyboard, should not send out a message to the young that knife crime is totally wrong and will NOT be accepted or tolerated instead of writing that "knife crime is happening all over the UK" You would be better off meeting these gangs in the street and explaining the dangers of knife crime instead of writing that it is happening all over the UK, which it is not according the stats.[/p][/quote]It is in the stats, as it happens.[/p][/quote]Care to post up your "stats" to prove there are other areas in the uk which have had similar/same amount of stabbings as Croydon has?
Lets see what prove you have to back up your claim then!Simon Pharter